Managing host data placed in a container file system on a data storage array having multiple storage tiers

ABSTRACT

A technique manages host data in a data storage array. The technique involves placing, in response to host input/output (I/O) requests from a set of host devices, host data in a container file system which is stored in a slice pool of storage slices (e.g., storage space of a standard size such as 256 MB) formed by multiple storage tiers of the data storage array. Each storage tier provides storage access at a different storage access speed. The technique further involves assigning classifications to storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system, each classification being assigned based on storage slice access history resulting from the host I/O requests. The technique further involves relocating portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices of the slice pool.

BACKGROUND

Block-based data storage systems conventionally include programming and hardware structures to provide block based access to storage volumes. Such systems typically support Fibre Channel, iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface), and/or other block-based protocols. With any of these block-based protocols, a data storage system may receive IO (input/output) requests from “hosts,” i.e., computing devices accessing the data storage system, where the IO requests (also called “host IOs”) specify locations to be read from or written to in the form of LUN identifiers (logical unit number, or volume) and particular offset ranges relative to the LUNs. For responding to IOs that specify read requests, the data storage system typically maps the specified LUNs and offsets to particular locations on disk drives or electronic flash drives, reads the data stored at the mapped locations, and returns the data to the hosts. For responding to IOs that specify write requests, the data storage system performs similar mappings, but writes the data to the designated locations. The IO requests may return results indicating whether the write requests succeeded or failed. An example of a block-based data storage system which operates in a manner similar to that described above is the CLARiiON® system from EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass.

File-based data storage systems are also known in the art. These systems include programming and hardware structures to provide file based access to file systems. File-based data storage systems are sometimes referred to as NAS (Network Attached Storage) systems. Such systems typically support NFS (Network File System), CIFS (Common Internet File System), SMB (Server Message Block), and/or other file-based protocols. With file-based protocols, hosts can issue read and write IO requests by specifying particular file systems, paths, and file names. Internally to the data storage system, file system directories map the files specified by the host IOs to particular sets of blocks on internal volumes, which themselves are derived from disk drives or electronic flash drives. The data storage system accesses the mapped locations and performs the requested reads or writes. An example of a file-based data storage system which operates in a manner similar to that described above is the Celerra® system from EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass.

SUMMARY

The designs of block-based and file-based data storage systems often follow parallel paths. Indeed, it has been recognized that many of the features provided by block-based storage, such as replication, snaps, de-duplication, migration, failover, and non-disruptive upgrade, are similar to features provided for file-based data storage systems. Because of the different ways that block-based systems and file-based systems are typically constructed, however, it can be difficult to transfer advances in features for block-based systems to file-based systems, and vice-versa.

For user convenience, block-based and file-based storage systems are sometimes co-located, essentially side-by-side, to allow processing of both block-based and file-based host IOs in a single combined system. Such combined systems are often more difficult to support and maintain, however, than block-based or file-based systems individually. In addition, such systems tend to produce “stranded storage,” i.e., storage that has been freed but cannot be reused because only an object of the same type (block-based or file-based) can reuse the storage but no current demand for storage from an object of the same type is pending. Such stranded storage can accumulate in these combined systems, allowing valuable storage resources to go unutilized.

In contrast with the separate block-based and file-based designs of conventional systems, an improved data storage array combines both block-based and file-based functionality in a unified data path architecture. The improved data storage array brings together IO processing of block-based storage systems and file-based storage systems by expressing both block-based objects and file-based objects in the form of files. These files are parts of an underlying, internal set of file systems, which is stored on a set of storage units served by a storage pool. Because both block-based objects and file-based objects are expressed as files, a common set of services can be applied across block-based and file-based objects for numerous operations, such as replication, snaps, de-duplication, migration, failover, non-disruptive upgrade, and/or many other services, as these services are performed similarly for both block and file objects on the same underlying type of object—a file.

In an example, the improved data storage array increases storage utilization by reallocating storage resources once allocated to block-based storage to file-based storage, and vice-versa. As block-based objects (e.g., LUNs, block-based vVols, and so forth) and file-based objects (e.g., file systems, file-based vVols, VMDKs, VHDs, and so forth) are expressed as underlying files, storage units released by any underlying file or files can be reused by any other underlying file or files, regardless of whether the files represent block-based objects or file-based objects. Inefficiencies of stranded storage are thus greatly reduced or altogether eliminated.

Moreover, in the context of a data storage array having multiple storage tiers offering different data access speeds, one or more portions of these underlying files may be relocated among multiple storage tiers to improve host data accessibility. For example, the portions of the underlying files containing host data which is accessed most frequently can be relocated to the fastest storage tier. Additionally, other portions of the underlying files containing host data which is accessed least frequently can be relocated, or displaced as needed, to the slowest storage tier. To identify access rates for the various portions of the underlying files, the data storage array may utilize an access history database which maintains access information for each portion. As a result, the data storage array is able to easily identify the most active host data (i.e., the “hottest” host data) and the least active host data (i.e., the “coldest” host data) for relocation among the storage tiers.

In accordance with improvements hereof, certain embodiments are directed to a method of managing host data in a data storage array. The method includes placing, in response to host input/output (I/O) requests from a set of host devices, host data in a container file system which is stored in a slice pool of storage slices (e.g., storage spaces of a standard size such as 256 MB) formed by multiple storage tiers of the data storage array. Each storage tier provides storage access at a different storage access speed. The method further includes assigning classifications to storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system, each classification being assigned based on storage slice access history resulting from the host I/O requests. The method further includes relocating portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices of the slice pool.

In some arrangements, the data storage array includes (i) a first storage tier formed by a first set of storage units which provides a first storage access speed, and (ii) a second storage tier formed by a second set of storage units which provides a second storage access speed, the first storage access speed being faster than the second storage access speed. In these arrangements, relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers involves moving, as the portions of the container file system, particular host data placed in the container file system from the second set of storage units to the first set of storage units to provide faster storage access speed to the particular host data.

In some arrangements, the first set of storage units includes flash drives, and the second set of storage units includes magnetic disk drives. In these arrangements, moving the particular host data involves repositioning the particular host data from the magnetic disk drives to the flash drives while the data storage array performs host I/O operations in response to newly received host I/O requests.

In some arrangements, placing the host data in the container file system involves performing file-based I/O operations to place, as the host data in the container file system, an upper-deck file system having hierarchically arranged host files within the container file system.

In some arrangements, placing the host data in the container file system involves performing block-based I/O operations to place, as the host data in the container file system, a logical unit of storage within the container file system.

In some arrangements, the method further includes providing, while the host data is being placed in the container file system in response to the host I/O requests, ongoing host access to a production file of the container file system. The production file operates as a primary object which represents a current version of production host data.

In some arrangements, the method further includes providing, while the host data is being placed in the container file system in response to the host I/O requests, ongoing host access to a snapshot file of the container file system. The snapshot file operates as a snapshot object which represents a prior version of the production host data.

In some arrangements, the method further includes providing, while the host data is being placed in the container file system in response to the host I/O requests, ongoing host access to a set of files of the container file system. In certain arrangements, the set of files is formed by non-shared blocks to enable the container file system to operate as a standalone container in which no blocks are shared within the container file system. In other arrangements, the set of files is formed by sharable blocks to enable the container file system to operate as a deduplication container in which at least some blocks are shared by files of the container file system.

In some arrangements, relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers further includes moving certain host data placed in the container file system from the first set of storage units to the second set of storage units to demote less active host data.

In some arrangements, the method further includes evicting less active portions of the container file system from the first storage tier to the second storage tier in response to operations promoting more active portions of the container file system from the second storage tier to the first storage tier.

In some arrangements, the data storage array maintains a slice access history database. In these arrangements, assigning the classifications includes updating the slice access history database to identify access rates for the storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system.

In some arrangements, relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers includes moving, as the portions of the container file system, particular host data between storage tiers based on the access rates for the storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system.

In some arrangements, moving the particular host data is performed in a manner which is transparent to the set of host devices while the data storage array performs host I/O operations in response to new host I/O requests received from the set of host devices.

Other embodiments are directed to electronic systems and apparatus, processing circuits, computer program products, and so on. Some embodiments are directed to various methods, electronic components and circuitry which are involved in managing host data placed in a container file system across multiple storage tiers of a data storage array.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example storage processor of a data storage apparatus in an example environment wherein improved techniques hereof may be practiced;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing particular example features of the storage processor of FIG. 1, including features of a front end and a back end of an IO stack;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing example features of the front end of FIG. 2 in additional detail, including lower-deck file systems built upon storage units (e.g., slices) from a storage pool;

FIGS. 4A-4C are a series of block diagrams showing an example way in which a slice used to store a first file representing a LUN is reallocated for use by a second file representing a host file system;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example manner in which storage slices from the storage pool can be reused by different files of the lower-deck file systems;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show different example replication operations on files of a lower-deck file system;

FIG. 7 is a table showing an example set of records stored in a configuration database that defines a virtualized storage processor that can be run on the storage processor of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are block diagrams showing example arrangements of virtualized storage processors;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example arrangement involving three storage processors in a modular arrangement, where two storage processors are configured to run front ends and one storage processor is configured to run a back end;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram that shows an example arrangement in which multiple storage processors run respective front ends and are connected in a gateway configuration to a data storage array; and

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example process for managing host data of a set of hosts in the data storage apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing how a pool of storage slices is formed from multiple storage tiers, and how host data can be placed in a container file system which is stored in the pool.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an access history database containing access rate information for use in relocating data slices of the container file system of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a procedure which is performed when managing host data placed in a container file system on a data storage array having multiple storage tiers.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing host data initially placed in a container file system stored across multiple storage tiers in accordance with an example.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the host data after data slices of the container file system are relocated across the multiple storage tiers in accordance with the example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

Embodiments of the invention will now be described. It is understood that such embodiments are provided by way of example to illustrate various features and principles of the invention, and that the invention hereof is broader than the specific example embodiments disclosed.

In the context of a data storage array having multiple storage tiers offering different data access speeds, one or more portions of a container file system (i.e., a lower-deck file system) may be relocated among the storage tiers to improve accessibility of host data placed in the container file system. Along these lines, the portions of the container file system holding host data which is accessed most frequently can be relocated to the fastest storage tier. Furthermore, other portions of the container file system holding host data which is accessed least frequently can be relocated, or displaced as needed, to the slowest storage tier. Accordingly, the most active host data enjoys the fastest access speed.

To identify access rates for the various portions of the container file system, the data storage array may utilize an access history database which maintains access information for each portion. As a result, the data storage array is able to easily identify the most active portions (i.e., the portions holding the “hottest” host data), the least active portions (i.e., the portions holding the “coldest” host data) for relocation among the storage tiers, and so on.

Data Storage Array Details

FIG. 1 shows an example environment 100 in which embodiments of the improved technique hereof can be practiced. Here, multiple host computing devices (“hosts”), shown as devices 110(1) through 110(N), access a data storage apparatus (or array) 116 over a network 114. The data storage apparatus 116 includes a storage processor, or “SP,” 120 and storage 180. The storage 180 is provided, for example, in the form of hard disk drives and/or electronic flash drives. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the data storage apparatus 116 may include multiple SPs like the SP 120. For instance, multiple SPs may be provided as circuit board assemblies, or “blades,” which plug into a chassis that encloses and cools the SPs. The chassis has a backplane for interconnecting the SPs, and additional connections may be made among SPs using cables. It is understood, however, that no particular hardware configuration is required, as any number of SPs (including a single one) can be provided and the SP 120 can be any type of computing device capable of processing host IOs.

The network 114 can be any type of network or combination of networks, such as a storage area network (SAN), local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet, and/or some other type of network, for example. In an example, the hosts 110(1-N) connect to the SP 120 using various technologies. For example, the host 110(1) can connect to the SP 120 using Fibre Channel (e.g., through a SAN). The hosts 110(2-N) can connect to the SP 120 using TCP/IP, to support, for example, iSCSI, NFS, SMB 3.0, and CIFS. Any number of hosts 110(1-N) may be provided, using any of the above protocols, some subset thereof, or other protocols besides those shown. As is known, Fibre Channel and iSCSI are block-based protocols, whereas NFS, SMB 3.0, and CIFS are file-based protocols. The SP 120 is configured to receive IO requests 112(1-N) according to both block-based and file-based protocols and to respond to such IO requests 112(1-N) by reading or writing the storage 180.

The SP 120 is seen to include one or more communication interfaces 122, a set of processors 124, and memory 130. The communication interfaces 122 include, for example, adapters, such as SCSI target adapters and network interface adapters, for converting electronic and/or optical signals received from the network 114 to electronic form for use by the SP 120. The set of processors 124 includes one or more processing chips and/or assemblies. In a particular example, the set of processors 124 includes numerous multi-core CPUs. The memory 130 includes both volatile memory (e.g., RAM), and non-volatile memory, such as one or more ROMs, disk drives, solid state drives (SSDs), and the like. The set of processors 124 and the memory 130 together form control circuitry, which is constructed and arranged to carry out various methods and functions as described herein. Also, the memory 130 includes a variety of software constructs realized in the form of executable instructions. When the executable instructions are run by the set of processors 124, the set of processors 124 are caused to carry out the operations of the software constructs. Although certain software constructs are specifically shown and described, it is understood that the memory 130 typically includes many other software constructs, which are not shown, such as various applications, processes, and daemons.

As shown, the memory 130 includes an operating system 134, such as Unix, Linux, or Windows™, for example. The operating system 134 includes a kernel 136. The memory 130 further includes a container 132. In an example, the container 132 is a software process that provides an isolated userspace execution context within the operating system 134. In various examples, the memory 130 may include multiple containers like the container 132, with each container providing its own isolated userspace instance. Although containers provide isolated environments that do not directly interact (and thus promote fault containment), different containers can run on the same kernel 136 and can communicate with one another using inter-process communication (IPC) mediated by the kernel 136. Containers are well-known features of Unix, Linux, and other operating systems.

In the example of FIG. 1, only a single container 132 is shown. Running within the container 132 is an IO stack 140, a mirror cache 150, and a replicator 160. The IO stack 140 provides an execution path for host IOs (e.g., 112(1-N)) and includes a front end 142 and a back end 144. The mirror cache 150 stores data for incoming writes and mirrors the data to cache on another SP. The replicator 160 makes local and/or remote copies of data for incoming writes. As the IO stack 140, mirror cache 150, and replicator 160 all run within the same container 132, the IO stack 140, mirror cache 150, and replicator 160 can communicate with one another using APIs (application program interfaces), i.e., without the need to use IPC.

The memory 130 also stores a configuration database 170. The configuration database 170 stores system configuration information. In other implementations, the configuration database 170 is stored elsewhere in the data storage apparatus 116, such as on a disk drive separate from the SP 120 but accessible to the SP 120, e.g., over a backplane or network.

In operation, the hosts 110(1-N) issue IO requests 112(1-N) to the data storage apparatus 116. The IO requests 112(1-N) may include both block-based requests and file-based requests. The SP 120 receives the IO requests 112(1-N) at the communication interfaces 122 and passes the IO requests to the IO stack 140 for further processing. At the front end 142, processing may include caching data provided with any write IO requests to the mirror cache 150, which may in turn cache the data to another SP. Also within the front end 142, mapping operations map LUNs and host file systems to underlying files stored in a set of internal file systems of the front end 142. Host IO requests received for reading and writing both LUNs and file systems are thus converted to reads and writes of respective files. The IO requests then propagate to the back end 144, where commands are executed for reading and/or writing the physical storage 180, agnostically to whether the data read and/or written is directed to a LUN or to a host file system.

Although FIG. 1 shows the front end 142 and the back end 144 together in an “integrated” form, the front end 142 and back end 144 may alternatively be provided on separate SPs. For example, the IO stack 140 may be implemented in a “modular” arrangement, with the front end 142 on one SP and the back end 144 on another SP. The IO stack 140 may further be implemented in a “gateway” arrangement, with multiple SPs running respective front ends 142 and with a back end provided within a separate storage array. The back end 144 performs processing that is similar to processing natively included in many block-based storage arrays. Multiple front ends 142 can thus connect to such arrays without the need for providing separate back ends.

FIG. 2 shows the front end 142 and back end 144 of the IO stack 140 in additional detail. Here, the front end 142 is seen to include protocol end points 220, a redirector 222, an incoming cache manager 224, a user object layer 226, a mapping layer 228, one or more lower-deck (internal) file systems 230, a storage pool 232, a unified cache manager 234, and a basic volume interface 236. The back end 144 is seen to include a host side adapter 250, a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) manager 252, and hard disk drive/electronic flash drive support 254.

Within the front end 142, protocol end points 220 receive the host IO requests 210 from the communication interfaces 122 and perform protocol-specific processing, such as stripping off header information and identifying data payloads. Processing then continues to the redirector 222.

The redirector 222 receives the host IOs and, under specified conditions, redirects the host IO requests to another SP. For example, the LUN specified in any block-based host IO request may be owned by a particular SP of the data storage apparatus 116. If the SP 120 receives a host IO request that is directed to a LUN owned by another SP, the redirector 222 sends the host IO to the SP that owns the LUN, at which point processing of the host IO request by the SP 120 ceases. However, if the redirector 222 detects that the LUN specified in a block-based host IO request is owned by the SP 120, the redirector allows the host IO request to continue to propagate through the front end 142. The redirector 222 performs no operation for file-based host IO requests. For host IO requests that are not redirected, processing continues to the incoming cache manager 224.

The incoming cache manager 224 provides low-latency responses to incoming host IO write requests. When a write IO request is received, the incoming cache manager 224 caches the data specified by the write request in the mirror cache 150. Operating in conjunction with the unified system cache 234, the incoming cache manager 224 directs the contents of the mirror cache 150 to be copied over a high-speed interconnect (e.g., a high-speed cable or bus) to a cache of a second SP of the data storage apparatus, where a duplicate copy of the data is stored. The data specified by the host write IO request are thus stored in two independent locations and are deemed to be persisted. Upon confirmation that the data have been successfully written to both the mirror cache 150 and the cache of the other SP, the incoming cache manager 224 acknowledges the write back to the originating host (i.e., the host of 110(1-N) that sent the write host IO). Using this arrangement, write requests are acknowledged quickly, without the need to wait until the requests propagate to the actual storage 180 or even to the unified cache manager 234, thereby providing a low level of latency in responding to write IOs. The data stored in the mirror cache 150 may eventually be destaged to the storage 180 (e.g., to the set of slices that store the LUN or file system being written to), but such destaging may be conducted when convenient and out of band with the processing of host IOs. Processing continues to the incoming user object layer 226.

The user object layer 226 presents underlying files representing LUNs and underlying files representing host file systems in a form recognized by the hosts (i.e., as LUNs and host file systems). For example, the user object layer 226 presents data stored in underlying files for block-based data as LUNs. The user object layer 226 also presents data stored in underlying files for file-based data as host file systems. In an example, the user object layer 226 includes an upper-deck file system for each host file system stored in a file of the lower-deck file system(s) 230 (described below). Each upper-deck file system presents files and directories of a host file system to the hosts 110(1-N), even though the host file system is represented internally as a file.

The mapping layer 228 maps host objects as presented in the user object layer 226 to corresponding underlying files stored in one or more lower-deck file systems 230. For LUNs, the mapping layer 228 converts a LUN identifier and offset range to a particular file in a lower-deck file system 230 and to a particular offset range within that file. Any set of blocks of a LUN identified in a host IO request are thus mapped to a set of blocks in the underlying file that represents the LUN. Similarly, for host file systems, the mapping layer 228 converts a given file or directory represented in an upper-deck file system of the user object layer 226 to a particular file in a lower-deck file system 230 and to a particular location within the file.

The lower-deck file system layer 230 represents LUNs and host file systems in the form of files. Any number of lower-deck file systems 230 may be provided. In one arrangement, a single lower-deck file system 230 may be provided to include any number of LUNs and/or host file systems, as well as their snaps (i.e., point-in-time copies). In another arrangement, a different lower-deck file system is provided for each primary object to be stored, i.e., for each LUN and for each host file system. The lower-deck file system for any primary object may include a file storing the object itself, as well as files storing any snaps of the object. Each lower-deck file system 230 has an inode table, which provides a unique inode for each file stored in the lower-deck file system 230. The inode table of each lower-deck file system stores properties of each file in the respective lower-deck file system, such as ownership and block locations at which the file's data are stored. Lower-deck file systems are built upon storage elements managed by a storage pool 232.

The storage pool 232 organizes elements of the storage 180 in the form of slices. A “slice” is an increment of storage space, such as 256 MB in size, which is drawn from the storage 180. The pool 232 may allocate slices to lower-deck file systems 230 for use in storing their files. The pool 232 may also deallocate slices from lower-deck file systems 230 if the storage provided by the slices is no longer required. In an example, the storage pool 232 creates slices by accessing RAID groups formed from the storage 180, dividing the RAID groups into FLUs (Flare LUNs), and further dividing the FLU's into slices.

The unified cache manager 234 provides caching services for data stored in the lower-deck file systems 230. In some examples, the unified cache manager 234 directs data specified by host writes to local RAM or flash memory and thus avoids the need to access the storage 180, which is typically more remote than the local RAM or flash memory and takes more time to access. In some examples, the unified cache manager 234 also directs data returned in response to read IO requests to be stored in local RAM or flash memory for fast access in the event that subsequent host IO requests require the same data. In some examples, the local RAM or flash memory may store the only valid copy of host data, with writes to the storage 180 being deferred and, in cases where host data needs to be stored only transiently, avoided altogether.

The basic volume interface 236 is arranged to send host IOs to the back end 144 when the back end 144 is provided on another SP of the data storage apparatus 116 or when the back end 144 is provided on a separate array. In an example, the basic volume interface 236 converts host IOs propagating out of the front end 142 to a block-based protocol, such as Fibre Channel. After being processed by the basic volume interface 236, processing continues to the back end 144.

Within the back end 144, the host side adapter 250 receives the host IO and extracts the host IO content. In some implementations, such as the “integrated” arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the basic volume interface 236 and host side adapter 250 may be omitted or may be made to perform no operation.

The RAID manager 252 accesses the particular slice or slices being written or read using RAID protocols. In some examples, the RAID manager 252 also performs out-of-band operations of maintaining RAID groups, such as swapping out failing disk elements and applying erasure coding to restore required redundancy.

The hard disk drive/electronic flash drive support 254 includes drivers that perform the actual reading from or writing to the storage 180.

Although the above-described components of the IO stack 140 are presented in a particular order, this order can be varied. For example, the incoming cache manager 224 can be located above the redirector 222. Also, multiple cache managers can be provided at different locations within the IO stack 140.

FIG. 3 shows portions of the front end 142 in additional detail. Here, the user object layer 226 includes a representation of a LUN 310 and of an HFS (host file system) 312, and the mapping layer 228 includes a file-to-LUN mapping 320 and a file-to-HFS mapping 322. The file-to-LUN mapping 320 maps the LUN 310 to a first file F1 (336), and the file-to-HFS mapping 322 maps the HFS 312 to a second file F2 (346). Through the file-to-LUN mapping 320, any set of blocks identified in the LUN 310 by a host IO is mapped to a corresponding set of blocks within the first file 336. Similarly, through the file-to-HFS mapping 322, any file or directory of the HFS 312 is mapped to a corresponding set of blocks within the second file 346.

The first file 336 and the second file 346 are included within the lower-deck file systems 230. In this example, a first lower-deck file system 330 includes the first file 336 and a second lower-deck file system 340 includes the second file 346. Each of the lower-deck file systems 330 and 340 includes an inode table, 332 and 342, respectively. The inode tables 332 and 342 provide information about files in respective lower-deck file systems in the form of inodes. For example, the inode table 332 of the first lower-deck file system 330 includes an inode 334, which provides file-specific information about the first file 336. Similarly, the inode table 342 of the second lower-deck file system 340 includes an inode 344, which provides file-specific information about the second file 346. The information stored in each inode includes location information (e.g., block locations) where the respective file is stored, and may thus be accessed as metadata to identify the locations of the files 336 and 346.

Although a single file is shown for each of the lower-deck file systems 330 and 340, it is understood that each of the lower-deck file systems 330 and 340 may include any number of files, each with its own entry in the respective inode table. In one example, each lower-deck file system stores not only the file F1 or F2 for the LUN 310 or HFS 312, but also snaps of those objects. For instance, the first lower-deck file system 330 stores the first file 336 along with a different file for every snap of the LUN 310. Similarly, the second lower-deck file system 340 stores the second file 346 along with a different file for every snap of the HFS 312.

As shown, a set of slices 360 is allocated by the storage pool 232 for storing the first file 336 and the second file 346. In the example show, slices S1-1 through S4-1 are used for storing the first file 336, and slices S1-2 through S3-2 are used for storing the second file 346. The data that make up the LUN 310 are thus stored in the slices S1-1 through S4-1, whereas the data that make up the HFS 312 are stored in the slices S1-2 through S3-2. In an example, the storage pool 232 allocates slices 350 to the set of file systems 230 in an on-demand manner, e.g., as the first file 236 and the second file 246 require additional storage. The storage pool 232 can also deallocate slices from the set of file systems 230 when all the currently allocated slices are no longer required.

In some examples, each of the lower-deck file systems 330 and 340 is associated with a respective volume, such as a sparse LUN. Sparse LUNs provide an additional layer of mapping between the lower-deck file systems 230 and the pool 232 and allow the lower-deck file systems to operate as file systems normally do, by accessing underlying volumes. Additional details about sparse LUNs and their relation to lower-deck file systems may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,631,155, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The incorporated patent uses the term “container file systems” to refer to constructs similar to the lower-deck file systems disclosed herein.

FIGS. 4A-4C show a sequence of events for reusing a slice 410 that once stored portions of the first file 336 for storing portions of the second file 346 when the slice 410 is no longer required by the first file 336. In FIG. 4A, it is shown that slice S4-1 (also labeled 410), which previously stored data for the first file 336, has become empty. This may occur, for example, when data is deleted from the LUN 310. In response to the slice S4-1 (410) becoming empty, the storage pool 232 deallocates the slice 410 from the set of file systems 230 and makes the slice 410 available.

In FIG. 4B, the free slice 410 is reallocated to the set of file systems 230 for use by the second file 346. Thus, the slice 410 becomes a newly added slice S4-2. In an example, the pool 232 reallocates the slice 410 to the set of file systems in response to the second file 346 requiring additional storage. This may occur, for example, in response to the HFS 312 growing to accommodate additional, or larger, files.

In FIG. 4C, with the first file 346 still storing data for the LUN 310, the slice 410 has become part of the second file 346 (as slice S4-2) and additional data for the second file 346 are stored on the newly acquired slice.

In the manner shown, a slice first used by the LUN 310 is reused by the HFS 312. Thus, storage space originally used for storing block-based data is reused for storing file-based data. Although FIGS. 4A-4C show block-based storage being reused for file-based storage, it is evident that file-based storage can also be reused for block-based storage. For example, the slice 410 can be released from the second file 346 and reused by the first file 336. Thus, inefficiencies of stranded storage are significantly reduced or eliminated.

FIG. 5 shows a flexible manner in which files of lower-deck file systems can store a variety of host objects and how slices can be readily reused across different files. Here, files f1 and f2 within a lower-deck file system 530 a store file representations of LUNs 510 and 512. Also, files f3 and f4 within a lower-deck file system 530 b store file representations of host file systems 514 and 516. Additional host objects are stored, including block-based vVols 518 and 520 in files f5 and f6 (in a lower-deck file system 530 c), and file-based vVols 522 and 524 in files f7 and f8 (in a lower-deck file system 530 d). As is known, vVols are virtual storage volumes that are associated with particular virtual machines. In an example, any of the hosts 110(1-N) may run a virtual machine, which references a vVol stored on the data storage apparatus 116.

As illustrated with the arrows extending between the files f1 through f8 and slices 350 in the pool 232, slices used for any of the files f1 through f8 can be deallocated when they are no longer needed and reallocated for use with other files as those files require additional storage. As all host objects (e.g., LUNs, host file systems, block-based vVols, or file-based vVols) are represented as files, slices may be readily exchanged among them. Stranded storage is thus avoided for all of these host object types.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show different uses of the replicator 160. The replicator 160 performs data protection operations on host objects by copying and/or snapping their underlying files to local and/or remote locations.

In FIG. 6A, the replicator 160 copies or snaps a file “fa,” which represents a LUN in the set of file systems 230 to produce another file “fa*” in the set of file systems 230. The file “fa*” may be a copy or a snap of the file “fa.” The replicator 160 also copies or snaps a file “fb,” which represents a host file system in the set of file systems 230 to produce another file “fb*” in the set of file systems 230. As shown, the same replicator 160 performs similar functions (file copies) in both situations, for providing data protection for both a LUN and a host file system.

In FIG. 6B, the replicator 160 performs similar copy and/or snap operations on the files “fa” and “fb,” but in this case provides copies or snaps “fa*” and “fb*” to a remote location, i.e., a location remote from the data storage apparatus 116. The remote copies and/or snaps thus provide data protection for the LUN represented by “fa” and for the host file system represented by “fb” even in the event of a natural disaster in the vicinity of the data storage apparatus 116.

In some examples, the replicator 160 can operate in both a “sync” mode and an “async” mode. In sync mode, the replicator 160 performs a remote replication “in sync” with receiving write IO requests. For example, in response to a host IO request specifying data to be written, the replicator 160 attempts to write the host data to a remote storage point (e.g., to a RecoverPoint Appliance) and only acknowledges the write back to the originating host after both the write to the remote storage point and the local write have been acknowledged. In async mode, by contrast, a host IO request specifying a write is acknowledged back to the originating host as soon as the host data are successfully received (e.g., as soon as they are stored in the mirror cache 150 and mirrored to another SP). A local or remote copy is then made of the host object (LUN, host file system, etc.) asynchronously, i.e., out of band, with incoming write IO requests.

Although not specifically shown, other functions besides replication are also greatly simplified by representing LUNs, file systems, and other host objects in the form of files. For example, functions such as snapping, de-duplication, migration, failover, and non-disruptive upgrade are similarly benefited by the ability to commonly treat host objects as files.

In addition to the operations described above, the SP 210 can also perform advanced data services. For example, the configuration database 170 (FIG. 1) may store records defining one or more virtualized storage processors. A “virtualized storage processor” is a collection of definitions, file systems, settings, and interfaces, which can be instantiated on an SP (i.e., on a physical SP) to realize an entity that acts like its own SP. Multiple virtualized storage processors can be instantiated on a physical SP (e.g., the SP 210) to effectively multiply the number of storage processors of the data storage apparatus 116.

FIG. 7 shows an example set of records 700 in the configuration database 170 that define a virtualized storage processor 710. The records specify, for example, an owning SP, authentication, and file system identifiers for the virtualized storage processor 710, including identifiers of a root file system, a configuration file system, and various user file systems that may be accessed using the virtualized storage processor 710. The records may further specify various host interfaces that define host IO protocols that the virtualized storage processor 710 is equipped to handle.

The set of records 700 thus identifies not only user file systems, but also a set of interfaces and settings that form a “personality.” This personality enables the virtualized storage processor 710 to interact with hosts in a manner similar to the way a physical storage processor interacts with hosts.

Although the set of records 700 is shown to define only a single virtualized storage processor 710, it is understood that the configuration database 170 may store any number of virtualized storage processor definitions for instantiating any number of virtualized storage processors on the data storage apparatus 116. The virtualized storage processors are instantiated with their respective host interfaces, and can each respond to host IO requests for reading and writing data of their respective file systems, which data are stored in the storage 180.

It is understood that virtualized storage processors operate in connection with the front end 142 of the IO stack 140. The virtualized storage processors thus remain with their respective front ends 142 in modular and gateway arrangements. The file systems that belong to a virtualized storage processor are stored as files in the lower-deck file systems 230, in the manner described above for host file systems. Indeed, in some arrangements, all host file systems implemented in the data storage apparatus 116 belong to one or more virtualized storage processors and are accessed through the virtualized storage processor(s). In some examples, multiple virtualized storage processors share the same front end IO stack 142. In other examples, each virtualized storage processor includes its own separate instance of the front end IO stack 142.

In an example, virtualized storage processors are instantiated within containers (e.g., container 132). For example, a single container may host any number of virtualized storage processors.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show two different example arrangements of virtualized storage processors. In both cases, the virtualized storage processors run within the container 132 of the memory 130.

In FIG. 8A, multiple virtualized storage processors 810, 812, and 814 access the storage pool 232. Thus, the lower-deck file systems of the virtualized storage processors 810, 812, and 814 all derive the slices needed to store their underlying files from the pool 232.

In FIG. 8B, multiple storage pools 850, 852, and 854 are provided, one for each of the virtualized storage processors 810, 812, and 814, respectively. Providing different pools for respective virtualized storage processors promotes data isolation among the virtualized storage processors, and thus may be better suited for applications involving multiple tenants which require that each tenant's data be kept separate from the data of other tenants.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show different deployments of the IO stack 140. In FIG. 9, a modular deployment is shown in which a first SP 910 houses a front end 142 in a first container 920 and a second SP 930 houses the back end 144 in a second container 940. An interconnection 950 is formed between the first SP 910 and the second SP 930. In an example, the interconnection 950 is made using Fibre Channel or some other block-based protocol. To support cache mirroring (via connection 928), as well as other functions, a parallel arrangement may be formed with a third SP 912 housing a front end 142 in a third container 922 and a fourth SP 932 housing a back end 144 in a fourth container 942. An interconnection 952 is formed between the third SP 912 and the fourth SP 932. With this arrangement, performance gains can be realized over the integrated configuration of FIG. 1, because the modular configuration dedicates the computing and memory resources of multiple SPs to handling host IOs, and because each SP is optimized for operating as a front end or as a back end but is not required to operate as both. Also, although the first SP 910, the second SP 930, the third SP 912, and fourth SP 932 are physical SPs, any of the SPs housing front ends 142 (SP1 and SP3) can themselves house any number of virtualized storage processors.

FIG. 10 shows a gateway arrangement, in which multiple SPs 1010, 1030, . . . , 1050 each house a front end 142 in respective containers 1020, 1040, . . . , 1060. Interconnections 1022, 1042, . . . , 1062 (such as Fibre Channel) respectively connect the SPs 1010, 1030, . . . , 1050 to an array 1090. The array 1090 includes its own internal back end, for responding to block-based IOs. Although three SPs are shown providing front ends 142, it is understood that a greater or lesser number of SPs providing front ends 142 may be provided. Also, cache mirroring and other functions may be best supported by providing SPs in pairs. Thus, the number of SPs in the gateway arrangement is preferably even. Suitable examples of the array 1090 include the VMAX® and VPLEX® storage arrays available from EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass.

FIG. 11 shows an example method 1100 for managing host data of a set of hosts in a data storage apparatus. The method 1100 that may be carried out in connection with the data storage apparatus 116. The method 1100 is typically performed by the software constructs, described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, which reside in the memory 130 of the storage processor 110 and are run by the set of processors 124. The various acts of the method 1100 may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in orders different from those illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though the acts are shown as sequential in the illustrated embodiments.

At step 1110, a set of slices of a storage pool is allocated to a set of file systems of a data storage apparatus. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the set of slices 360 is allocated to the lower-deck file systems 230 of the data storage apparatus 116. In other arrangements, the set of slices 360 are allocated to a single file system or to greater than two file systems (including all lower-deck file systems 230).

At step 1112, a first file is stored in the set of slices. The first file is provided as a file in the set of file systems and provides a file representation of a LUN storing block-based host data. The block-based host data stored in the first file is accessible to the set of hosts using a block-based protocol. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the first file 336 is stored in the set of slices 360. The first file 336 is provided as a file in the file system 330 of the lower-deck file systems 230, via an entry in the inode table 332, and provides a file representation of the LUN 310, which stores block-based host data. Such host data is accessible to the hosts 110(1-N) using a block-based protocol, such as Fibre Channel or iSCSI.

At step 1114, a second file is stored in the set of slices. The second file is provided as a file in the set of file systems and provides a file representation of a host file system storing file-based host data. The file-based host data stored in the second file is accessible to the set of hosts using a file-based protocol. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the second file 346 is stored in the set of slices 360. The second file 346 is provided as a file in the file system 340 of the lower-deck file systems 230, via an entry in the inode table 342, and provides a file representation of the host file system (HFS) 212, which stores file-based host data. Such host data is accessible to the hosts 110(1-N) using a file-based protocol, such as NFS, CIFS, or SMB 3.0.

At step 1116, a slice of the set of slices is deallocated from the set of file systems in response to the slice storing block-based host data of the first file and then becoming empty. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the slice 410 is deallocated from the lower-deck file systems 230 file systems in response to the slice 410 initially storing block-based host data for the LUN 310 (as slice S4-1) and then becoming empty, e.g., as a result of files being deleted from the LUN 310.

At step 1118, the slice is reallocated to the set of file systems in response to the host file system stored in the second file requiring additional storage space. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the slice 410, which was once used for storing portions of the LUN 310, is reallocated to the lower-deck file systems 230 in response to the HFS 312 requiring additional storage space.

At step 1120, while the first file is providing the LUN, portions of the second file are stored on the reallocated slice, thereby allowing the slice previously used for storing portions of the LUN to be reused for storing portions of the host file system. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, the slice 410 stores portions of the HFS 312 in the second file 346, while the first file 336 continues to provide the LUN 310. Thus, the slice 410, which was once used to store portions of the LUN 310 is reused for storing portions of the HFS 312.

An improved technique has been described for a data storage apparatus that combines both block-based and file-based functionality in a unified data path architecture. The improved technique brings together IO processing of block-based storage systems and file-based storage systems by expressing both block-based objects and file-based objects in the form of files. These files are parts of an underlying, internal set of file systems, which are stored on a set of storage units served by a storage pool. Because block-based and file-based objects are all expressed as files of this set of file systems, a common set of services can be applied across block-based and file-based objects. Also, storage units released by any file or files of the underlying, internal set of file systems can be reused by any other file or files, regardless of whether the files represent LUNs, file systems, vVols, and so forth. Inefficiencies of stranded storage are thus greatly reduced or completely eliminated.

As used throughout this document, the words “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to set forth certain items, steps, elements, or aspects of something in an open-ended fashion. Although certain embodiments are disclosed herein, it is understood that these are provided by way of example only and the invention is not limited to these particular embodiments. In addition, the word “set” as used herein indicates one or more of something, unless a statement is made to the contrary.

Having described certain embodiments, numerous alternative embodiments or variations can be made. For example, the lower-deck file systems 230 have been described as storing file representations of LUNs, host file systems, block-based vVols, file-based vVols, and snaps of any of the foregoing. These are merely examples, however. Other types of objects may be stored in the lower-deck file systems 230 as file representations, such as virtual hard disks (VHDs), virtual machine disks (VMDKs), internal file systems used by the data storage apparatus 116, and internal volumes, for example.

In addition, as shown and described, different types of objects (LUNs, host file systems, etc.) are shown and described as being stored in respective lower-deck file systems. This is merely an example, however. Alternatively, any of LUNs, host file systems, block-based vVols, and file-based vVols, as well as snaps of any of the foregoing, may be included together in a single lower-deck file system or in any number of lower-deck file systems. Thus, it is not required that files representing different types of objects be stored in different lower-deck file systems.

Also, the improvements or portions thereof may be embodied as a non-transient computer-readable storage medium, such as a magnetic disk, magnetic tape, compact disk, DVD, optical disk, flash memory, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and the like (shown by way of example as medium 1150 in FIG. 11). Multiple computer-readable media may be used. The medium (or media) may be encoded with instructions which, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various processes described herein. Such medium (or media) may be considered an article of manufacture or a machine, and may be transportable from one machine to another.

Data Relocation Across Multiple Storage Tiers

The above-described data storage array 116 (also see FIG. 1) is capable of performing host data placement based on activity level, or access history. In particular, the data storage array 116 includes multiple storage tiers offering different access speeds such as flash memory storage units (i.e., flash drives) for relatively fast data access, SAS magnetic disk drives for moderately fast data access, and near line SAS magnetic disk drives for high capacity storage. Access to host data placed in a container file system is then monitored, and various portions of the container file system are then relocated across the storage tiers so that the most active host data (i.e., “hot” host data) resides on the fastest storage tier, the least active host data (i.e., “cold” host data) is moved, or evicted as necessary, to the slower high-capacity storage tiers, and so on.

It should be understood that the operation of monitoring access activity and relocating portions of the container file system among the storage tiers may occur automatically. Moreover, such operation may be transparent to the hosts 110 (FIG. 1). Accordingly, features similar to that of Fully Automated Storage Tiering for Virtual Pools (FAST VP) are capable of being applied to the above-described context.

FIG. 12 shows how a storage pool 232 of storage slices 2000 of the data storage apparatus 116 is formed from a set of Flare LUNs. In particular, each Flare LUN includes multiple storage units which are configured into RAID groups operating in accordance with a predefine RAID level (e.g., RAID level 5, RAID level 6, RAID level 10, etc.). The RAID groups are then divided into LUNs and LUN slices 2000 which are then supplied to the pool 232.

As shown in FIG. 12, the storage pool 232 is formed of slices 2000 from different types of storage units or HDDs to provide multiple storage tiers 2001 based on access speed. By way of example, a tier of flash drives forms a first tier 2001(1) of storage. Additionally, a tier of fast magnetic drives forms a second tier 2001(2) of storage. Furthermore, a tier of slow magnetic drives forms a third tier 2001(3) of storage. Accordingly, the storage pool 232 includes slices 2000 from an assortment of different types of storage. It should be understood that the storage pool 232 may be formed by a different number of storage tiers 2001 (e.g., two, four, etc.) as well as other types of non-volatile storage.

During operation, the SPs 120 of the data storage array 116 (FIG. 1) place host data within a container file system 2002 stored within the storage pool 232 of storage slices 2000. As described earlier, the container file system 2002 has container files 2004 which can be presented as upper-deck objects 2006 to the hosts 110 (also see LUN 310 and host file system 312 in FIG. 3). Suitable host accessible objects for holding host data 2008 from the hosts 110 include upper-deck file systems, file-based vVols, VMDKs, VHDs, LUNs, and block-based vVols, among others. Further details will now be provided with reference to FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 shows an access history database 2050 which contains access rate information for use in relocating slices of host data 2008 placed in the container file system 2002. The access history database 2050 includes entries 2052(1), 2052(2), . . . (collectively, entries 2052) which corresponds to the storage slices 2000 of the storage pool 232 (also see FIG. 12).

It should be understood that the earlier-described mapping layer 228 which manages slice mappings is suitable for maintaining the access history database 2050 (also see FIG. 2). In particular, as the mapping layer 228 converts upper level slice identifiers to lower level slice identifiers (or vice-versa) to perform input/output (I/O) operations, the mapping layer 228 can update the access history database 2050 to reflect such access activity.

As shown in FIG. 13, each entry 2052 of the access history database 2050 includes a front-end slice identifier field 2060 to hold an upper level slice identifier (ID) which identifies a particular slice of host data 2008, a back-end slice identifier field 2062 to hold an lower level slice ID which identifies a particular storage slice 2000 of the storage pool 232 within which the particular slice resides, a slice temperature field 2064 to hold a slice temperature of the particular storage slice 2000, and one or more other fields 2066 to hold additional information (e.g., an actual count of how many times the particular storage slice 2000 was accessed or touched during a particular time period, a timestamp of the last touch, and so on).

It should be understood that the lower level slice ID can be considered as an identifier of where the data is located rather than the data itself. For example, with reference to entry 2052(1), the storage slice 2000 of the storage pool 232 which holds slice B34472 is considered “hot”. Likewise, with reference to entry 2052(3), the storage slice 2000 of the storage pool 232 which holds slice B66288 is considered “cold”, and so on. Accordingly, as slices of actual data are relocated among the storage tiers 2001, the data storage array 116 simply updates the contents of the back-end slice identifier field 2062 of the entries 2052 to reflect the new locations of the data.

At this point, it should be further understood that there are several ways storage slices 2000 may be classified in terms of access activity. One way is to count the number of operations that access each storage slice 2000 within a particular timeframe (e.g., accesses per week, per day, per hour, etc.). If the number of accesses for a particular storage slice 2000 falls with a predefined upper range (e.g., greater than 1000 accesses), the particular storage slice 2000 is assigned a first classification. However, if the number of accesses for a particular storage slice 2000 falls with a next range (e.g., between 1000 and 500 accesses), the particular storage slice 2000 is assigned a second classification and so on until the lowest range is reached. Other ways of classifying storage slices 2000 are suitable for use as well (e.g., counting only read operations, counting only write operations, counting operations only during a particular time window during the day, counting operations only from a particular host, and so on).

By way of example, each storage slice 2000 is capable of having one of three different temperature classifications: “hot” to indicate the highest level of activity, “warm” to indicate a moderate level of activity, and “cold” to indicate the lowest level of activity. In this example, the storage slices 2000 corresponding to the entries 2052(1), 2052(2) and 2052(6) are “hot” (i.e., most active). Additionally, the storage slices 2000 corresponding to the entries 2052(3) and 2052(4) are “cold” (i.e., least active). Furthermore, the storage slice 2000 corresponding to the entry 2052(5) is “warm” (i.e., moderately active). In other arrangements, the data storage array 116 uses a different number of classifications, e.g., two, four, etc.

After a period of time of collecting activity information in the access history database 2050, certain slices of data in the container file system 2002 which are stored among the storage tiers are relocated. In one arrangement, a relocation service starts at a routine time (e.g., hourly, nightly, etc.) to perform relocation based on the activity information in the access history database 2050 and the activity information in the access history database 2050 is reset after relocation is completed. In another arrangement, the relocation service starts at a routine time, and the activity information in the access history database 2050 is not reset but maintained in an ongoing manner in which older information is retired or given less weight. In yet another arrangement, the relocation service continues in an ongoing manner (i.e., with a low level priority operating in the background). Other arrangements are suitable for use as well. Further details will now be provided with reference to FIG. 14.

FIG. 14 shows a flowchart of a procedure 2100 which is performed by a data storage array 116 to smartly manage host data 2008 placed in a container file system 2002 which is stored across multiple storage tiers 2001 (also see FIG. 12). As a result, portions of the container file system 2002 can be moved to improve host data accessibility.

In step 2102, the data storage array 116 places, in response to host IOs 112 from the hosts 110 (FIG. 1), host data 2008 in a container file system 2002 which is stored in a storage pool 232 of storage slices 2000 formed by multiple storage tiers 2001 (FIG. 12). As mentioned earlier, each storage tier 2001 provides storage access at a different storage access speed.

In step 2104, the data storage array 116 assigns classifications to the storage slices 2000 of the slice pool 232 which store the container file system 2002. Each classification is assigned based on storage slice access history resulting from the host IOs 112. Recall that such access history is stored and retrieved from an access history database 2050 (FIG. 13).

In step 2106, the data storage array 116 relocates portions of the container file system 2002 among the multiple storage tiers 2001 according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices 2000 of the storage pool 232. For example, the data storage array 116 moves the most active data slices of the container file system 2002 to the fastest storage tier 2001(1). Additionally, the data storage array 116 can move the less active data slices of the container file system 2002 from the fastest storage tier 2001(1) to the next tier 2001(2) down or can simply evict the less active data slices as additional space is needed in the fastest storage tier 2001(1). Data slices can be moved between the storage tiers 2001(2) and 2001(3) in a similar manner, and so on.

In some arrangements, the data storage array 116 is capable of relocating data slices of the container file system 2002 by jumping over tiers 2001. For example, a data in a storage slice 2000 which was previously “cold” can be relocated from the slowest storage tier 2001(3) to the fastest storage tier 2001(1) if that storage slice 2000 later becomes “hot” due to recent access activity, i.e., the storage slice 2000 is now accessed very frequently. Such a situation may arise if the data in the storage slice 2000 belongs to a snapshot of a primary object, and a host 110 accesses the snapshot (e.g., the primary object is rolled back to the snapshot). Accordingly, the host 110 is then able to enjoy faster access to the snapshot data.

It should be understood that access to the host data 2008 is thus improved regardless of manner in which the host data 2008 is stored within the container file system 2002 (e.g., via block-based or file-based host IOs 112, also see FIG. 1). In particular, both user level data and the metadata which supports the user level data to form the host data 2008 is available for relocation based on access history.

In some arrangements, one or more container files of the container file system 2002 holds an upper-deck file system having hierarchically arranged host files. For example, one container file may be a production file operating as a primary object which represents a current version of production host data while one or more other container files are snapshot files operating as snapshot objects which represent prior versions of the production host data.

As another example, the container file may include a set of files formed by non-shared blocks to enable the container file system 2002 to operate as a standalone container in which no blocks are shared within the container file system 2002. As yet another example, the container file may include a set of files formed by sharable blocks to enable the container file system 2002 to operate as a deduplication container in which at least some blocks are shared by files of the container file system 2002, and so on.

In other arrangements, one or more container files of the container file system 2002 hold a block-based host object. For example, one container file of the container file system 2002 may be direct or thick LUN. Alternatively, a container file of the container file system 2002 may be a thinly provisioned LUN, and so on. Further details will now be provided with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate an example of the data storage array 116 at work in managing host data 2008 among multiple storage tiers 2001 by relocating data slices of a container file system 2002. FIG. 15 shows initial placement of data slices of the container file system 2002. FIG. 16 shows the data slices of the container file system 2002 after particular data slices have been relocated based on access history provided by the access history database 2050 (FIG. 13).

As shown in FIG. 15, the data storage array 116 accesses host data 2008 placed within the container file system 2002 which is stored among the storage tiers 2001 during a period of operation. During this time, the data storage array 116 records access activity in the access history database 2050 (FIG. 13).

Initially, some of the host data 2008 resides in storage slices 2000 (FIG. 12) which are considered “hot” due to a high number of accesses. Additionally, some of the host data 2008 resides in storage slices 2000 which are considered “warm” due to a medium number of accesses. Furthermore, some of the host data 2008 resides in storage slices 2000 which are considered “cold” due to a low number of accesses.

Next, the data storage array 116 relocates portions of the container file system 2002 according to the recorded access activity in the access history database 2050. In particular, for storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(3) which were deemed “hot”, the data storage array 116 moves data from those storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(3) to storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(1). Additionally, for storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(3) which were deemed “warm”, the data storage array 116 moves data from those storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(3) to storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(2).

Likewise, for storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(2) which were deemed “hot”, the data storage array 116 moves data from those storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(2) to storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(1). Additionally, for storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(2) which were deemed “cold”, the data storage array 116 moves data from those storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(2) to storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(3).

Furthermore, for storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(1) which were deemed “warm”, the data storage array 116 moves data from those storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(1) to storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(2). Additionally, for storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(3) which were deemed “cold”, the data storage array 116 moves data from those storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(1) to storage slices 2000 of the storage tier 2001(3).

In should be understood that such relocation may occur in a variety of orders, e.g., data in “hot” storage slices 200 moved first, followed by data in “warm” storage slices 2000, etc. Moreover, during relocation, the data storage array 116 is capable of continuing to perform host IO operations for high availability. In some arrangements, a small number of available (or free) storage slices 2000 are maintained in each tier 2001 to facilitate promotion and eviction of data. In other arrangements, the same amount of data is evicted from a tier 2001 to accommodate promotion of data to that tier 2001.

FIG. 16 shows the data of the container file system 2002 after the data has been relocated among the storage tiers 2001. In particular, the data that was accessed the most has been promoted to the fastest speed storage tier 2001(1). Additionally, the data that was accessed the next most has been promoted to the moderate speed storage tier 2001(2), and so on.

It should be understood that as time passes, storage slices 2000 may transition from one classification to another based on access activity. Accordingly, the relocation process is repeated in an ongoing manner (e.g., hourly, nightly, continuously in the background, etc.) to maintain improved accessibility to the data.

Although features are shown and described with reference to particular embodiments hereof, such features may be included in any of the disclosed embodiments and their variants. Thus, it is understood that features disclosed in connection with any embodiment can be included as variants of any other embodiment, whether such inclusion is made explicit herein or not. For example, certain embodiments are directed to electronic systems and apparatus, processing circuits, computer program products (see medium 1150 in FIG. 11), and so on. Some embodiments are directed to various methods, electronic components and circuitry which are involved in managing host data placed in a container file system across multiple storage tiers of a data storage array.

Additionally, it should be understood that the database entry format illustrated in FIG. 13 was provided by way of example only. In some arrangements, the entries 2052 do not require tracking of front-end identifiers as well as back-end identifiers, e.g., back-end identifiers within the entries 2052 are sufficient. Other formats are suitable for use as well.

Those skilled in the art will therefore understand that various changes in form and detail may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of managing host data in a data storage array, the method comprising: in response to host input/output (I/O) requests from a set of host devices, placing host data in a container file system which is stored in a slice pool of storage slices formed by multiple storage tiers of the data storage array, each storage tier providing storage access at a different storage access speed; assigning classifications to storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system, each classification being assigned based on storage slice access history resulting from the host I/O requests; and relocating portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices of the slice pool, wherein the data storage array includes (i) a first storage tier formed by a first set of storage units which provides a first storage access speed, and (ii) a second storage tier formed by a second set of storage units which provides a second storage access speed, the first storage access speed being faster than the second storage access speed, wherein relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers includes moving, as the portions of the container file system, particular host data placed in the container file system from the second set of storage units to the first set of storage units to provide faster storage access speed to the particular host data, and wherein placing the host data in the container file system includes: performing file-based I/O operations to place, as the host data in the container file system, an upper-deck file system having hierarchically arranged host files within the container file system, wherein placing the host data in the container file system includes placing both data and metadata of the upper-deck file system within a file in the container file system.
 2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first set of storage units includes flash drives; wherein the second set of storage units includes magnetic disk drives; and wherein moving the particular host data includes: repositioning the particular host data from the magnetic disk drives to the flash drives while the data storage array performs host I/O operations in response to newly received host I/O requests.
 3. A method as in claim 1 wherein placing the host data in the container file system includes: performing block-based I/O operations to place, as the host data in the container file system, a logical unit of storage within the container file system.
 4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising: while the host data is being placed in the container file system in response to the host I/O requests, providing ongoing host access to a production file of the container file system, the production file operating as a primary object which represents a current version of production host data.
 5. A method as in claim 4, further comprising: while the host data is being placed in the container file system in response to the host I/O requests, providing ongoing host access to a snapshot file of the container file system, the snapshot file operating as a snapshot object which represents a prior version of the production host data.
 6. A method as in claim 1, further comprising: while the host data is being placed in the container file system in response to the host I/O requests, providing ongoing host access to a set of files of the container file system, the set of files being formed by non-shared blocks to enable the container file system to operate as a standalone container in which no blocks are shared within the container file system.
 7. A method as in claim 1, further comprising: while the host data is being placed in the container file system in response to the host I/O requests, providing ongoing host access to a set of files of the container file system, the set of files being formed by sharable blocks to enable the container file system to operate as a deduplication container in which at least some blocks are shared by files of the container file system.
 8. A method as in claim 1 wherein relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers further includes moving certain host data placed in the container file system from the first set of storage units to the second set of storage units to demote less active host data.
 9. A method as in claim 1, further comprising: evicting less active portions of the container file system from the first storage tier to the second storage tier in response to operations promoting more active portions of the container file system from the second storage tier to the first storage tier.
 10. A method as in claim 1 wherein the data storage array maintains a slice access history database; and wherein assigning the classifications includes: updating the slice access history database to identify access rates for the storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system.
 11. A method as in claim 10 wherein relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers includes: moving, as the portions of the container file system, particular host data between storage tiers based on the access rates for the storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system.
 12. A method as in claim 11 wherein moving the particular host data is performed in a manner which is transparent to the set of host devices while the data storage array performs host I/O operations in response to new host I/O requests received from the set of host devices.
 13. A method as in claim 1, further comprising: in response to receiving second host I/O requests from the set of host devices, placing second host data in a second container file system which is stored in the slice pool of storage slices formed by the multiple storage tiers of the data storage array, wherein placing the second host data in the second container file system includes performing block-based I/O operations to place, as the second host data in the second container file system, a logical unit of storage realized within a file of the second container file system.
 14. A method as in claim 13, further comprising relocating portions of the second container file system among the multiple storage tiers according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices of the slice pool.
 15. A method as in claim 1, wherein the data storage array implements the upper-deck file system in its entirety within a single file of the container file system, the single file being one of multiple files in the container file system, and wherein the data storage array includes a mapping layer that maps the upper-deck file system to the single file of the container file system.
 16. A method as in claim 15, wherein the mapping layer is configured to update an access history database that associates upper-level slice identifiers with back-end slice identifiers and corresponding slice temperature values.
 17. A data storage array, comprising: a host interface constructed and arranged to communicate with a set of host devices; multiple storage tiers, each storage tier providing storage access at a different storage access speed; and control circuitry coupled to the host interface and the multiple storage tiers, the control circuitry being constructed and arranged to: in response to host input/output (I/O) requests from the set of host devices, place host data in a container file system which is stored in a slice pool of storage slices formed by the multiple storage tiers, assign classifications to storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system, each classification being assigned based on storage slice access history resulting from the host I/O requests, and relocate portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices of the slice pool, wherein, when constructed and arranged to place the host data in the container file system, the control circuitry is further constructed and arranged to perform file-based I/O operations to place, as the host data in the container file system, an upper-deck file system realized within a file of the container file system, the upper-deck file system having hierarchically arranged host files within the file of the container file system, wherein the control circuitry, constructed and arranged to place the host data in the container file system, is further constructed and arranged to place both data and metadata of the upper-deck file system within a file in the container file system.
 18. A data storage array as in claim 17 wherein the multiple storage tiers includes (i) a first storage tier formed by a first set of storage units which provides a first storage access speed, and (ii) a second storage tier formed by a second set of storage units which provides a second storage access speed, the first storage access speed being faster than the second storage access speed; and wherein the control circuitry, when relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers, is constructed and arranged to move, as the portions of the container file system, particular host data placed in the container file system from the second set of storage units to the first set of storage units to provide faster storage access speed to the particular host data.
 19. A data storage array as in claim 17, further comprising: a slice access history database; wherein the control circuitry, when assigning the classifications, is constructed and arranged to update the slice access history database to identify access rates for the storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system.
 20. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to manage host data, the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry of a data storage array, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of: in response to host input/output (I/O) requests from a set of host devices, placing host data in a container file system which is stored in a slice pool of storage slices formed by multiple storage tiers of the data storage array, each storage tier providing storage access at a different storage access speed; assigning classifications to storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system, each classification being assigned based on storage slice access history resulting from the host I/O requests; and relocating portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers according to the classifications assigned to the storage slices of the slice pool, wherein placing the host data in the container file system includes performing file-based I/O operations to place, as the host data in the container file system, an upper-deck file system realized within a file of the container file system, the upper-deck file system having hierarchically arranged host files within the file of the container file system, wherein placing the host data in the container file system includes placing both data and metadata of the upper-deck file system within a file in the container file system.
 21. A computer program product as in claim 20 wherein the data storage array includes (i) a first storage tier formed by a first set of storage units which provides a first storage access speed, and (ii) a second storage tier formed by a second set of storage units which provides a second storage access speed, the first storage access speed being faster than the second storage access speed; and wherein relocating the portions of the container file system among the multiple storage tiers includes moving, as the portions of the container file system, particular host data placed in the container file system from the second set of storage units to the first set of storage units to provide faster storage access speed to the particular host data.
 22. A computer program product as in claim 20 wherein the data storage array maintains a slice access history database; and wherein assigning the classifications includes: updating the slice access history database to identify access rates for the storage slices of the slice pool which store the container file system. 